Photobox snaps up Moonpig

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Photobox, the online photo giant, has merged with card sales company Moonpig to add even more printing capabilities to its services lineup. For Photobox, this means an instant 50 per cent plus market share in the online card printing market.

"People still want to print if you provide the right value add," Photobox CEO Stan Laurent told Pocket-lint.

For a company that has been traditionally printing-centric this means growth in a field that they have yet to explore and with Moonpig, who effectively dominates that market.

Photography is beginning a high street exodus and moving away from shops to online and, in order to sell more prints, companies are looking to supply what people want - the option to do more with the thousands of digital pictures. Things like photo books and personalised greetings cards have all been responsible for the growth of internet-based printing, which now has a 30 per cent market share.

"Consumers are taking a lot more photos than they used to," said Laurent, "the number of photos has multiplied by 7-10".

Two different types of photograph have now emerged, with the average consumer dividing between that which is kept on Facebook and phone and that which needs to be printed.

"Everyday photos exist on the mobile or online, quality photos will be safeguarded and printed or used as a gift."

Photobox began as a similar rapid digital printing service, but diversified when it realised it was the best way to make money.

"We have seen ourselves as an enabler," Laurent told Pocket-lint. "We have the innovations that retail didn't have."

"With product innovation came a different proposition, that has accelerated the move online."

The result? High street retailers retain 50 per cent of all printing, the Internet takes 30 per cent and home printing the remaining 20. Quite how this will shift in the next generation remains to be seen.